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China Becomes Main Lifeline for Russia’s Sanctioned Military Supply Chain
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Russia is now importing more than 90% of its sanctioned technology through China, a sign of Moscow’s increasing reliance on Beijing to sustain its war effort in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on April 30.
This figure represents a significant increase from approximately 80% last year. The increase follows the European Union’s crackdown on alternative routes Russia previously used to acquire restricted goods. According to Bloomberg’s sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private assessments, this steady supply line has allowed Russia to ramp up the domestic production of numerous weapon systems, including drones and missiles.
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The Chinese embassy in Brussels did not respond to Bloomberg’s requests for comment regarding the figures.
The EU has attempted to use sanctions to block Russia from obtaining critical components such as semiconductors, integrated circuits, electronics, and specialized machinery. While the bloc has penalized specific companies in China and Hong Kong for allegedly aiding Moscow in circumventing these measures, Bloomberg reports that most EU member states remain reluctant to impose harsher sanctions on China out of fear of economic retaliation.
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Despite European efforts, Beijing continues to supply vital resources to the Russian military-industrial complex. Bloomberg indicates China has also provided Moscow with geospatial intelligence, military-grade satellite imagery, and drones, even as it curbed similar exports to Ukraine and other nations.
Beijing has consistently stated that it does not recognize international sanctions and maintains “normal trading relations” with Russia, recently warning that it will take necessary measures after the EU included several Chinese entities in its latest sanctions package.
Beijing’s support for Moscow extends beyond weapons manufacturing and into the direct administration of temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. According to a recently published investigation, China and Iran are assisting Russia in establishing telecommunications, financial systems, and trade operations in temporarily occupied Ukrainian cities of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Mariupol.
The investigation revealed that Chinese technology, primarily from Huawei, forms the backbone of new digital networks in these regions, supplying equipment for approximately 6,000 mobile base stations after Russian forces disconnected Ukrainian networks. To bypass global financial restrictions, the Chinese yuan has also become the primary currency for international transactions in the occupied territories.
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